Growth reaches highest level since 2011
The economic picture of Vietnam in the first 6 months of 2026 continues to record many positive signals in the context that the world economy still has many potential instabilities.
According to a report by the Ministry of Finance, GDP growth in the first 6 months of the year reached 8.18%, the highest level since 2011 and belonging to the group of high-growth economies in the region. Along with that, inflation continued to be controlled when the average consumer price index (CPI) increased by 4.38%, within the target range of about 4.5%.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Chuc - Director of the Vietnam and World Institute of Economics - said that the indicators show that the economy continues to improve. Growth in the first 6 months of the year was led by the processing and manufacturing industry, trade and services. In which, the processing and manufacturing industry increased by 10.23%; total import and export turnover reached 549.69 billion USD, an increase of 27.1% compared to the same period.
According to Dr. Nguyen Dinh Chuc, the important thing is not only the growth figures but also to comprehensively assess the quality of growth, the resilience of the economy as well as the sustainability of development drivers in the medium and long term.
Firstly, regarding trade deficit of about 16.7 billion USD in the first 6 months of the year. This is a very large level compared to many previous years. This also raises issues of pressure on the trade balance and the level of dependence on imported raw materials.
Second, the role of the domestic business sector and the level of participation in the value chain. The issue is how to make the domestic business sector participate more deeply in the export chain. Regarding the budget, it is important to have principles to ensure that for the next period, from the third quarter, fourth quarter and subsequent years, it is possible to continue to expand investment but still maintain financial safety. Looking at investment, we see that the economy is still heavily dependent on trade. Therefore, it is necessary to continue to promote investment and improve the capacity of the economy" - Dr. Nguyen Dinh Chuc said.
Momentum to maintain economic growth in the last 6 months of the year
Analyzing the advantages in the last 6 months of the year, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Hanh, Head of the National Accounting System Department, Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance) - said that the economy still has many favorable factors to maintain growth momentum with momentum from production, momentum from demand and new growth drivers.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Hanh, the processing and manufacturing industry is still the foundation of economic growth if export orders continue to improve and the production activities of the foreign-invested enterprise sector remain stable. At the same time, foreign direct investment capital continues to be a bright spot of the economy thanks to a stable political environment, a network of new generation free trade agreements and the trend of global supply chain restructuring.
Ms. Mai Hanh assessed that public investment continues to be identified as an important driving force for economic growth in the last 6 months of the year. With the large scale of public investment capital and many key infrastructure projects being implemented (such as the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway, inter-regional expressway axes and 5 strategic urban railway lines just started by Hanoi simultaneously), accelerating the disbursement progress will create a strong spillover effect on the construction industry, material processing industry, transportation, trade and create more jobs, thereby stimulating the aggregate demand of the economy.
Regarding new drivers, Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Hanh said that science, technology, innovation, digital economy and digital transformation are becoming new strategic growth drivers for the economy. Promoting the application of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things and automation in production, business and management contributes to improving labor productivity, reducing production costs, optimizing supply chains and promoting innovation in growth models.
According to the Statistics Office, the green economy and energy transition are opening up opportunities to attract investment and improve competitiveness. The commitment to net zero emissions and the trend of sustainable development make Vietnam more attractive with renewable energy projects, clean technology, green production and circular economy.
Businesses remove bottlenecks, create growth momentum
Innovation in governance, removing investment bottlenecks to maintain double-digit growth
Petrovietnam leaders said that in the last 6 months of the year, fluctuations in oil prices, the world geopolitical situation, along with difficulties in disbursing investment and supplying materials will continue to put pressure on production and business activities.
Implementing the Government's direction, Petrovietnam aims to maintain double-digit growth on the basis of substantive, effective and sustainable growth; promote technology innovation, digital transformation, green transformation and apply modern management models to improve productivity and operational efficiency. The Group will also strengthen coordination with ministries and sectors, including the Ministry of Finance, to improve mechanisms and policies, remove bottlenecks in investment, and create new development momentum.
Chairman of Petrovietnam Member Council Le Ngoc Son said that the Group will soon issue an Action Program for the last 6 months of the year with the motto "clear tasks, clear people, clear responsibilities, clear progress, clear results", focusing on transforming policies into specific actions, promoting the effectiveness of resources and determination to comprehensively complete the goals and tasks of 2026.
Vietnam Post Corporation: Decisively remove bottlenecks, promote digital transformation
General Director of Vietnam Post Corporation Chu Quang Hao requested the entire system to enter the last 6 months of the year with a spirit of "determination" and "responsibility", in which decisiveness must start from the heads at all levels to thoroughly overcome bottlenecks, improve service quality and improve income for workers.
For core business areas, postal and express delivery services will focus on market share assessment, customer data review and consolidation of specialized sales forces. The postal finance sector promotes the development of insurance services, finance - banking, strengthens coordination with the Social Insurance agency to expand growth potential. Goods distribution activities are managed uniformly, ensuring operational efficiency; and proactively promote public administrative services, data digitization and strengthen coordination with local authorities to promote digital transformation.
Expanding market share, developing new products to create growth momentum
PVOIL Chairman Duong Manh Son emphasized that it is necessary to continue to innovate governance according to OECD standards, promote digital transformation, apply technology and research new business fields to promote existing advantages, expand value chains, improve competitiveness and create long-term growth momentum.
PVOIL General Director Nguyen Dang Trinh also assessed that the results of the first 6 months of the year exceeded expectations thanks to proactively seizing market opportunities, flexibly managing goods sources, ensuring supply and improving business efficiency.
In the last 6 months of the year, PVOIL will focus on improving forecast quality, building flexible operating scenarios; continue to develop a network of gas stations, expand market share, promote digital transformation and improve operational efficiency. Faced with the trend of energy shift, businesses will proactively develop new products and services, increase revenue outside of gasoline and oil and effectively exploit existing infrastructure to create sustainable growth momentum. Binh Nguyen
